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Serum 25(OH)D deficiency consistently demonstrated molecular mechanisms through which chronic inflammation is associated with the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study aimed to determine the association between serum 25(OH)D and NPC. A matched case–control study was conducted at two local hospitals. A total of 300 histologically confirmed NPC cases were matched with controls for age, gender, and ethnicity, and assessed for vitamin D status and other nutritional factors. Mean Vitamin D concentration was significantly lower among cases compared to controls (63.17 ± 19.15 nmol/L and 67.34 ± 23.06 nmol/L) (t = −2.41, p = 0.016). Multiple conditional logistic regression analysis indicated that higher levels of serum 25(OH)D were associated with reduced odds of NPC (AOR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.57–0.94, p = 0.016) controlling for confounders including BMI, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, consumption of food high in vitamin D, salted fish consumption, and family history of NPC. There was a significant association between inadequate serum 25(OH)D status with accumulation of four risk factors and increased odds of getting NPC using polynomial regression analysis. Increased NPC odds ratios were observed after sequential accumulation of additional risk factors with the presence of inadequate serum 25(OH)D status (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.27, 4.77, p = 0.322, OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.64, 1.72, p = 0.267, OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.73, 1.80, p = 0.067, OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.13, 3.31, p = 0.022, and OR = 5.55, 95% CI = 1.67, 10.3, p < 0.001 respectively). Future research in Malaysia should involve both prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials to confirm and further clarify the role of vitamin D in NPC outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Knowledge of hepatitis B and C has been reported to be low among respondents in different studies. We conducted a cross-sectional study among international students of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) to ascertain their levels of knowledge, attitude and practices regarding hepatitis B and C and its associated factors. Methods Six hundred and sixty two (662) international students participated in this study. A cluster sampling method was employed and data was generated using self-administered questionnaire, which was validated and its reliability checked. Results Normality test was conducted followed by descriptive statistics, spearman’s correlation and Chi-square tests to explore associations between variables in the study. The response rate was 71.49 %. Of these, 50.3 % of the respondents had better knowledge of hepatitis B; 52.7 % had better knowledge of hepatitis C; 54.8 % had positive attitude towards hepatitis B and C and 77.6 % had safer practices towards hepatitis B and C. Positive correlations were found between knowledge of hepatitis B and knowledge of hepatitis C; knowledge hepatitis B and attitude; knowledge hepatitis C and attitude; knowledge hepatitis B and practice; knowledge hepatitis C and practice; and attitude and practice regarding hepatitis B and C. Similarly, some socio-demographic variables and history of hepatitis were found to be associated with knowledge, attitude and practice related to hepatitis B and C. Conclusion The levels of knowledge and attitude towards hepatitis B and C were low among respondents but majority of them exhibited safe practices. The study level, faculty, age, nationality, marital status and gender of the respondents were significantly associated with their levels of knowledge, attitude and practices towards the disease. These findings imply that there is need for hepatitis health promotion among the international students of UPM and possibly other international students across the globe. It will serve to improve their levels of knowledge, attitude and practices in short term and get them protected against the disease in the long run.

Background: Depression and anxiety are common in stroke survivors as well as their family caregivers. However, it is not known whether each person’s emotional distress contributes to their partner’s quality of life (QOL). Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of depression and anxiety on QOL in stroke survivor- caregiver dyads using dyadic analysis technique - the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). Methods: This was a cross-sectional pilot study with a total of 30 participating dyads (30 stroke survivors and 30 family caregivers) from Hospital Rehabilitasi Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This pilot study was conducted over a period of 3 months, between December 2014 and February 2015. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). QOL was assessed using the Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12). All analyses were carried out using IBM SPSS version 22. Dyadic data were analysed using multilevel modelling (MLM). Results: Depression was uniquely associated with an individual’s own QOL. Survivors and caregivers with higher depression had poorer physical component summary (PCS) scores and mental component summary (MCS) scores. Stroke survivor’s depression exerted a significant actor effect on their PCS (b=-1.42, p=0.001) and MCS (b=-1.52, p

Acute pharyngitis (AP) is a common reason for private primary care consultations, thus providing an avenue for widespread antibiotic intake among the community. However, there is limited data on the antibiotic prescription appropriateness and resistance information in the Malaysian private primary care setting, therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of isolated viruses and bacteria, antibiotic resistance patterns, antibiotic prescription patterns and appropriateness by general practitioners (GPs) and factors affecting antibiotic resistance and antibiotic prescription patterns. To investigate, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 205 patients presenting with AP symptoms at private primary care clinics in central Malaysia from 3rd January 2016 to 30th November 2016. Throat swabs were collected from 205 AP patients for two purposes: (i) the detection of four common respiratory viruses associated with AP via reverse-transcription real-time PCR (qRT-PCR); and (ii) bacterial identification using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Bacterial isolates were then subjected to antibiotic susceptibility screening and McIsaac scoring was calculated post-prescription based on GP selection of criteria. Generalized estimating equations analysis with multiple logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with presence of virus and antibiotic prescription. The results showed that 95.1% (195/205) of patients had at least one of the four viruses, with rhinovirus (88.5%) being the most prevalent, followed by adenovirus (74.9%), influenza A virus (4.6%) and enterovirus (2.1%). A total of 862 non-repetitive colonies were isolated from the culture of throat swabs from 205 patients who were positive for bacteria. From a total of 22 genera, Streptococcus constitutes the most prevalent bacteria genus (40.9%), followed by Neisseria (20%), Rothia (13.0%), Staphylococcus (11%) and Klebsiella (4.9%). Only 5 patients carried group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS). We also report the presence of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus or VRSA (n = 9, 10.1%) among which one isolate is a multidrug-resistant methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MDR-MRSA), while 54.1% (n = 111) were found to carry at least one antibiotic-resistant bacteria species. Application of the McIsaac scoring system indicated that 87.8% (n = 180) of patients should not be prescribed antibiotics as the majority of AP patients in this study had viral pharyngitis. The antibiotic prescription appropriateness by applying post-prescription McIsaac scoring was able to rule out GABHS pharyngitis in this sample with a GABHS culture-positive sensitivity of 40% (n = 2/5) and specificity of 90% (180/200). In conclusion, antibiotic-resistant throat isolates and over-prescription of antibiotics were observed and McIsaac scoring system is effective in guiding GPs to determine occurrences of viral pharyngitis to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 201 patients with major depressive disorder from four hospitals in Malaysia were followed up for 5 years to determine the prognostic factors of recurrent major depressive disorder that could potentially contribute to improving the management of MDD patients. For each individual patient, at the time of recruitment as part of a case-control study, information was collected on recent threatening life events, personality and social and occupational functioning, while blood samples were collected to genotype single nucleotide polymorphisms of vitamin D receptor (VDR), zinc transporter-3 (ZnT3), dopamine transporter-1 (DAT1), brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), serotonin receptor 1A (HT1A) and 2A (HT2A) genes. Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression were used to estimate hazard functions for recurrence of major depressive disorder. Individuals with severe MDD in previous major depressive episodes had five and a half times higher hazard of developing recurrence compared to mild and moderate MDD (HR = 5.565, 95% CI = 1.631–18.994, p = 0.006). Individuals who scored higher on social avoidance had three and a half times higher hazard of recurrence of MDD (HR = 3.525, 95% CI = 1.349–9.209; p = 0.010). There was significant interaction between ApaI +64978C>A single nucleotide polymorphism and severity. The hazard ratio increased by 6.4 times from mild and moderate to severe MDD for A/A genotype while that for C/A genotype increased by 11.3 times. Social avoidance and severity of depression at first episode were prognostic of recurrence. Screening for personality factors at first encounter with MDD patients needs to be considered as part of the clinical practice. For those at risk of recurrence in relation to social avoidance, the psychological intervention prescribed should be customized to focus on this modifiable factor. Prompt and appropriate management of severe MDD is recommended to reduce risk of recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Shayesteh. Jahanfar, Munn-Sann. Lye, Isthrinayagy. Krishnarajah Introduction: Menarche or first menstrual period is a landmark in reproductive life span and it is the most prominent change of puberty. The [...]

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is primarily hinged on the presence of either low mood and/or anhedonia to previously pleasurable events for a minimum of 2 weeks. Other clinical features that characterize MDD include disturbances in sleep, appetite, concentration and thoughts. The combination of any/both of the primary MDD symptoms as well as any four of the other clinical features has been referred to as MDD. The challenge for replicating gene association findings with phenotypes of MDD as well as its treatment outcome is putatively due to stratification of MDD patients. Likelihood for replication of gene association findings is hypothesized with specificity in symptoms profile (homogenous clusters of symptom/individual symptoms) evaluated. The current review elucidates the genetic factors that have been associated with insomnia symptom of MDD phenotype, insomnia symptom as a constellation of neuro-vegetative cluster of MDD symptom, insomnia symptom of MDD as an individual entity and insomnia feature of treatment outcome. Homozygous CC genotype of 3111T/C, GSK3B-AT/TT genotype of rs33458 and haplotype of TPH1 218A/C were associated with insomnia symptom of MDD. Insomnia symptom of MDD was not resolved in patients with the A/A genotype of HTR2A-rs6311 when treated with SSRI. Homozygous short (SS) genotype-HTTLPR, GG genotype of HTR2A-rs6311 and CC genotype of HTR2A-rs6313 were associated with AD treatment-induced insomnia, while val/met genotype of BDNF-rs6265 and the TT genotype of GSK-3beta-rs5443 reduced it. Dearth of association studies may remain the bane for the identification of robust genetic endophenotypes in line with findings for genotypes of HTR2A-rs6311. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin found in abundance in brain regions such as the hippocampus, cortex, cerebellum and basal forebrain. It has been associated with the risk of susceptibility to major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aimed to determine the association of three BDNF variants (rs6265, rs1048218 and rs1048220) with Malaysian MDD patients. Methods: The correlation of these variants to the plasma BDNF level among Malaysian MDD patients was assessed. A total of 300 cases and 300 matched controls recruited from four public hospitals within the Klang Valley of Selangor State, Malaysia and matched for age, sex and ethnicity were screened for BDNF rs6265, rs1048218 and rs1048220 using high resolution melting (HRM). Findings: BDNF rs1048218 and BDNF rs1048220 were monomorphic and were excluded from further analysis. The distribution of the alleles and genotypes for BDNF rs6265 was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the controls (p = 0.13) but was in Hardy Weinberg disequilibrium for the cases (p = 0.011). Findings from this study indicated that having BDNF rs6265 in the Malaysian population increase the odds of developing MDD by 2.05 folds (95% CI = 1.48–3.65). Plasma from 206 cases and 206 controls were randomly selected to measure the BDNF level using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A significant decrease in the plasma BDNF level of the cases as compared to controls (p<0.0001) was observed. However, there was no evidence of the effect of the rs6265 genotypes on the BDNF level indicating a possible role of other factors in modulating the BDNF level that warrants further investigation. Conclusion: The study indicated that having the BDNF rs6265 allele (A) increase the risk of developing MDD in the Malaysian population suggesting a possible role of BDNF in the etiology of the disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workplace architectural lighting conditions that are biologically dim during the day are causing healthy individuals to experience light-induced health and performance-related problems. Dynamic lighting was reported beneficial in supporting individuals’ psychological behavior and physiological responses during work period in Europe. It has yet to be investigated in workplaces with minimal/no natural daylight contribution in tropical Malaysia. Hence, an exploratory experimental study was initiated in an experimental windowless open-plan workplace in Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang. The aim was to identify dynamic lighting configurations that were more supportive of a morning boosting effect than the control constant lighting, to support dayshift individuals’ psychophysiological wellbeing indicators during the peak morning work period. The immediate impact of a 2-hour morning exposure to overhead white LED (6500 K) with different horizontal illuminance levels and oscillations (lighting patterns) were investigated on physiological indicator limited to urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, and psychological indicators for alertness, mood, visual comfort, cognitive and visual task performance. Not all of the investigated dynamic lighting configurations were supportive of a morning boost. Only configurations 500increased to750 and 500increased to1000 lx therapeutically supported most of the indicators. Both these configurations suppressed urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, and improved alertness, cognitive performance, positive affect, and visual comfort better than ‘visit 1: 500constant500’ lx (control). The increasing oscillation was observed more beneficial for the morning boost in tropical Malaysia, which is in reverse to that specified in the human rhythmic dynamic lighting protocol developed by researchers from the Netherlands for application during winter. The findings from this study present the feasibility of dynamic architectural lighting acting as an environmental therapeutic solution in supporting the individuals’ psychophysiological wellbeing indicators in windowless open-plan workplace in tropical Malaysia. Further investigations on the two prospective configurations are recommended to determine the better supportive one for the morning boosting effect in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The current study aimed to investigate the relationships among the perceived quality of healthcare services, satisfaction and behavioural intentions among international students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. setting A cross-sectional study on public universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Participants All participants in this study were international students joining public universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Primary independent variable Perceived quality of healthcare services measured on a SERVQUAL scale. Primary dependent variable Participants' satisfaction of healthcare services assessed using five items. secondary dependent variable Behavioural intentions measured on six items. results Of the 556 international students, 500 (90%) completed the survey. The study used structural equation modelling (SEM) through the AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures) software to analyse the data. SEM analyses showed that the perceived quality of healthcare services significantly and directly affected satisfaction, with a value of 89% and an effect size of 0.78. It also had a significant indirect impact on the behavioural intentions (0.78) of international students. The results indicated that participants' satisfaction had a statistically significant impact on their behavioural intentions (0.77). Conclusion Perceived quality of care is an important driver of international students' satisfaction and their behavioural intention with healthcare services. Such relations of effects among the three investigated factors were also positive and significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare form of cancer across the world except in certain areas such as Southern China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. NPC is considered a relatively radiosensitive tumor and patients diagnosed at early stages tend to survive longer compared to those with advanced disease. Given that early symptoms of NPC are non-specific and that the nasopharynx is relatively inaccessible, less invasive screening methods such as biomarker screening might be the key to improve NPC survival and management. A number of genes with their respective polymorphisms have been shown in past studies to be associated with survival of various cancers. hOGG1 and XPD genes encode for a DNA glycosylase and a DNA helicase respectively; both are proteins that are involved in DNA repair. ITGA2 is the alpha subunit of the transmembrane receptor integrin and is mainly responsible for cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interaction. TNF-α is a cytokine that is released by immune cells during inflammation. Methods: Restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) was used to genotype all the aforementioned gene polymorphisms. Kaplan-Meier survival function, log-rank test and Cox regression were used to investigate the effect of gene polymorphisms on the all-cause survival of NPC. Results: NPC cases carrying T/T genotype of ITGA2 C807T have poorer all-cause survival compared to those with C/C genotypes, with an adjusted HR of 2.06 (95% CI = 1.14–3.72) in individual model. The 5-year survival rate of C/C carriers was 55% compared to those with C/T and T/T where the survival rates were 50% and 43%, respectively. Conclusion: The finding from the present study showed that ITGA2 C807T polymorphism could be potentially useful as a prognostic biomarker for NPC. However, the prognostic value of ITGA2 C807T polymorphism has to be validated by well-designed further studies with larger patient numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The risk of development of active TB in HIV-infected individuals is 20–37 times higher than those that are HIV negative. Poor knowledge of TB amongst people living with HIV has been associated with high transmission. Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of a new health education intervention module in improving knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding tuberculosis among HIV patients in General Hospital Minna, Nigeria. Methods: A randomized control trial was carried out from July 2015 to June 2017. A random number generating program was used to allocate 226 respondents into 2 groups. The intervention group received health education regarding tuberculosis using the developed module. The control group received the normal services provided for HIV patients. Data were collected from December 2015 to September 2016 at baseline, immediate post intervention, three, six and nine months. The outcome measures were knowledge, attitude, and practice. Results: There was no significant difference with respect to socio-demographic characteristics, KAP of the respondents in the intervention and control group at baseline. However, there was significant improvement in knowledge in the intervention group compared to the control group, group main effect (F = (1,218) = 665.889, p = 0.001, partial ἠ2 = 0.753, d = 5.4); time (F = (3.605, 218) = 52.046, p = 0.001, partial ἠ2 = 0.193, d = 1.52) and interaction between group with time (F = (3.605, 218) = 34.028, p = 0.001, partial ἠ2 = 0.135, d = 1.23). Likewise, there was significant improvement in attitude, group main effect (p = 0.001, d = 1.26) and time (p = 0.001, p, d = 0.65). Similarly, there was improvement in practice, group main effect, time, and interaction of group with time (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The health education intervention program was effective in improving KAP regarding tuberculosis among HIV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 8-oxoG, a common DNA lesion resulting from reactive oxygen species (ROS), has been shown to be associated with cancer initiation. hOGG1 DNA glycosylase is the primary enzyme responsible for excision of 8-oxoG through base excision repair (BER). Integrins are members of a family of cell surface receptors that mediate the cell-cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. Integrins are involved in almost every aspect of carcinogenesis, from cell differentiation, cell proliferation, metastasis to angiogenesis. Loss of ITGA2 expression was associated with enhanced tumor intravasation and metastasis of breast and colon cancer. XPD gene encodes DNA helicase enzyme that is involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER). It is shown in previous research that XPD homozygous wildtype Lys/Lys genotype was associated with higher odds of NPC. Methods: We conducted a 1 to N case-control study involving 300 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cases and 533 controls matched by age, gender and ethnicity to investigate the effect of hOGG1 Ser326Cys, ITGA2 C807T and XPD Lys751Gln polymorphisms on NPC risk. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis were conducted to explore the association of allele combinations with NPC risk. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR) was used for DNA genotyping. Results: No significant association was observed between hOGG1 Ser326Cys and ITGA2 C807T polymorphisms with NPC risk after adjustment for age, gender, ethnicity, cigarette smoking, alcohol and salted fish consumption. Lys/Lys genotype of XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism was associated with increased NPC risk (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.06–2.43). Subjects with history of smoking (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.26–2.60), and salted fish consumption before age of 10 (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.30–2.42) were observed to have increased odds of NPC. The odds of developing NPC of CGC haplotype was significantly higher compared to reference AGC haplotype (OR = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.06–4.58). Conclusion: The allele combination of CGC from hOGG1, ITGA2 and XPD polymorphisms was significantly associated with increased odds of NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Post-partum depression (PPD) is the most prevalent mental problem associated with childbirth. The purpose of the present study was to determine the incidence of early PPD and possible relevant risk factors among women attending primary health centers in Mazandaran province, Iran for the first time.Material and Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted among 2279 eligible women during weeks 32-42 of pregnancy to determine bio-psycho-socio-cultural risk factors of depression at 2 weeks post-partum using the Iranian version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Univariate and hierarchical multiple logistic regression models were used for data analysis.Results: Among 1,739 mothers whose EPDS scores were ≤ 12 during weeks 32-42 of gestation and at the follow-up study, the cumulative incidence rate of depression was 6.9% (120/1,739) at 2 weeks post-partum. In the multivariate model the factor that predicted depression symptomatology at 2 weeks post-partum was having psychiatric distress in pregnancy based on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (OR = 1.06, (95% CI: 1.04-1.09), p = 0.001). The risk of PPD also lower in those with sufficient parenting skills (OR = 0.78 (95% CI: 0.69-0.88), p = 0.001), increased marital satisfaction (OR = 0.94 (95% CI: 0.9-0.99), p = 0.03), increased frequency of practicing rituals (OR = 0.94 (95% CI: 0.89-0.99), p = 0.004) and in those whose husbands had better education (OR = 0.03 (95% CI: 0.88-0.99), p = 0.04).Conclusions: The findings indicated that a combination of demographic, sociological, psychological and cultural risk factors can make mothers vulnerable to PPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postpartum depression is the most prevalent emotional problem during a women's lifespan. Untreated postpartum depression may lead to several consequences such as child, infant, fetal, and maternal effects. The main purpose of this article is to briefly describe different theoretical perspectives of postpartum depression. A literature search was conducted in Psych Info, PubMed, and Science Direct between 1950 and 2015. Additional articles and book chapters were referenced from these sources. Different theories were suggested for developing postpartum depression. Three theories, namely, biological, psychosocial, and evolutionary were discussed. One theory or combinations of psychosocial, biological, and evolutionary theories were considered for postpartum depression. The most important factor that makes clinicians' choice of intervention is their theoretical perspectives. Healthcare providers and physicians should help women to make informed choices regarding their treatment based on related theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students-t test is the most popular statistical test. The test compares two mean values to judge if they are different or not. For small data it is possible to conduct it using manual calculation - however that is not the case. Researchers would need to use statistical software and packages to conduct their analysis. This guide will help the junior researchers to conduct independent- and paired-t test using STATA software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) gene encodes a DNA helicase, an important component in transcription factor IIH (TFIIH) complex. XPD helicase plays a pivotal role in unwinding DNA at the damaged region during nucleotide excision repair (NER) mechanism. Dysfunctional XPD helicase protein from polymorphic diversity may contribute to increased risk of developing cancers. This study aims to determine the association between XPD K751Q polymorphism (rs13181) and risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the Malaysian population. In this hospital-based matched case-control study, 356 controls were matched by age, gender and ethnicity to 356 cases. RFLP-PCR was used to genotype the XPD K751Q polymorphism. A significant association was observed between XPD K751Q polymorphism and the risk of NPC using conditional logistic regression. Subjects with homozygous Lys/Lys (wildtype) genotype have 1.58 times higher odds of developing NPC compared to subjects with recessive combination of heterozygous Lys/Gln and homozygous Gln/Gln genotypes (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.05–2.38 p = 0.028) adjusted for cigarette smoking, alcohol and salted fish consumption. Our data suggests that Lys/Lys (wildtype) of XPD K751Q contributes to increased risk of NPC in the Malaysian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction There appears to be a growing international recognition of postpartum depression as a significant public health concern. This paper determined the prevalence and psycho-socio-demographic predictors of postpartum depression symptomatology and its constancy over 12-week postpartum in Mazandaran province Iranian women. Methods Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and General Health Questionnaire were used to identify possible health and depression status in a cohort of 1,950 eligible pregnant women who attended primary health centers from January to June 2010, at 2 and 12 weeks postpartum. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of postpartum depression among women. Results Prevalence of continued depression was found to be 9.9% on all three assessments. A mother's psychological distress, experience of depression, and anxiety in the first and second trimester of pregnancy and a family history of depression were the characteristics that had the strongest significant association with the development of postpartum depression. Women who married at a younger age also were more prone to postpartum depression development. Conclusions One in ten depressed women in this study continued to be depressed over the 12-week postpartum period. Interventions should target women with the greatest risk, especially those with psychological distress during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing postpartum depression: New moms isolated by coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19, Women, Pandemic, Depression, Quarantine Keywords: COVID-19, Women, Pandemic, Depression, Quarantine Pregnancy and childbirth constitute major personal, social, physiological, and emotional events. Also, anxiety and depression (1628%) and self-reported stress (8%) are common psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic (7, 8). [Extracted from the article]

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major viral pathogen associated with acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs) among hospitalized children. In this study, the genetic diversity of the RSV strains was investigated among nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) taken from children less than 5 years of age hospitalized with ALRTIs in Hospital Serdang, Malaysia. A total of 165 NPA samples were tested for the presence of RSV and other respiratory viruses from June until December 2009. RSV was found positive in 83 (50%) of the samples using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Further classification of 67 RSV strains showed that subgroups A and B comprised 11/67 (16.4%) and 56/67 (83.6%) of the strains, respectively. The second hypervariable region at the carboxyl-terminal of the G gene was amplified and sequenced in order to do phylogenetic study. The phylogenetic relationships of the samples were determined separately for subgroups A and B using neighbor joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP), and Bayesian inference (BI). Phylogenetic analysis of the 32 sequenced samples showed that all 9 RSV-A strains were clustered within NA1 genotype while the remaining 23 strains of the RSV-B subgroup could be grouped into a clade consisted of strains with 60-nucleotide duplication region. They were further classified into newly discovered BA10 and BA9 genotypes. The present finding suggests the emergence of RSV genotypes of NA1 and BA. This is the first documentation of the phylogenetic relationship and genetic diversity of RSV strains among hospitalized children diagnosed with ALRTI in Serdang, Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L5251 --> Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) has high level of morbidity. It shows great inter‐individual difference in treatment responses and a complete absence of reliable biomarkers. Hypothesis: The evaluations between genotypes of HTR1A‐rs6295 or HTR2A‐rs6311 with clinical treatment efficacy response (CTER) based on clinical and sociodemographic features can unravel a significant association result. Aim: To identify moderators for the association between CTER with genotypes of HTR1A‐rs6295 or HTR2A‐rs6311 in a population of Malay MDD patients. Objectives: 1. To determine the association between genotypes of HTR1A‐rs6295 or HTR2A‐rs6311 with CTER when patients are categorized based on their history of chronic disease and family history of psychiatric illness 2. To determine the association between genotypes of HTR1A‐rs6295 or HTR2A‐rs6311 with CTER when patients are categorized based on the presence or absence of a number of personality trait types. 3. To determine the association between genotypes of HTR1A‐rs6295 or HTR2A‐rs6311 with CTER when patients are categorized based on key socio‐demographic features. Methodology: Ethical approval from appropriate authorities (NMRR‐14‐688‐19696) and informed consent from the MDD patients were obtained before recruitment. Patient were recruited over 2 years and provided blood for genotyping of the HTR1A‐rs6295 and HTR2A‐rs6311. Clinical features, socio‐demography, responses to Montogemery Asberg depression rating scale‐self (MADRS‐S) and Temperament /Personality questionnaires were obtained. Appropriate statistics for the association of the genotypes and CTER based on individual socio‐demographic and clinical features was done. Result: The 142 patients were Muslims (100%), young (median age = 31.50 years), females (67.6%) and low income earners (62.7%). Patients carrying the CG+GG genotype of the HTR1A‐rs6295 who have effectiveness (not the self‐criticism traits) had significantly lower odd (P = 0.016, OR = 0.099 (0.011 – 0.860)) for clinical treatment efficacy response (CTER). A Similar result in patients carrying the GG genotype of the HTR1A‐rs6295 polymorphism who do not have anxious‐worrying, social avoidance, inter‐personal sensitivity, effectiveness, cooperativeness, perfectionism and irritability. Unmarried patients with the GG‐HTR1A‐rs6295 genotype have a significantly lower odd P = 0.029 (OR = 0.126 (CI = 0.015 ‐1.058)) for CTER. Low income earners who have the CC‐HTR1A‐rs6295 have higher odd for CTER. Failure of CTER was significantly more among patients who have no history of any chronic disease and possess the HTR1A‐rs6295‐GG or HTR2A‐rs6311‐GA genotypes. Conclusion: The association of the genotypes of HTR1A‐rs6295 or HTR2A‐rs6311 polymorphism with CTER was observed in patients who were married, of low income earning, diagnosed with a chronic disease and have some key personality traits with the exception of effectiveness trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a family-based intervention program (REDUCE) on children's eating behaviors and dietary intake. A two-arm randomized controlled field trial was conducted among parents and children of 7 to 10 years old who were either overweight or obese. The intervention was conducted via face-to-face sessions and social media. The child eating behaviors were assessed using the child eating behaviors questionnaire (CEBQ), while their dietary consumption of vegetables and unhealthy snacks was assessed using a parental report of three days unweighted food. The generalized linear mixed modelling adjusted for covariates was used to estimate the intervention effects with alpha of 0.05. A total of 122 parents (91% response rate) completed this study. At the six-month post-training, there were statistically significant mean differences in the enjoyment of food (F(6481) = 4.653, p < 0.001), fruit and vegetable intake (F(6480) = 4.165, p < 0.001) and unhealthy snack intake (F(6480) = 5.062, p < 0.001) between the intervention and wait-list groups; however, it was not clinically meaningful. This study added to the body of knowledge of family-based intervention that utilized social media and assessed the effect in children's eating behavior using the CEBQ and children's dietary intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Childhood obesity is increasing in prevalence in Malaysia. Excess in dietary intake and inadequate physical activity contribute to the development of obesity among children. The objective of this study was to determine the association between eating behaviour and excess weight among primary school children in an urban community in Malaysia. Methods: This is a baseline data of a randomized control field trial of a family-based intervention to reduce adiposity in overweight and obese children. It involved five primary government schools in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor. The inclusion criteria include parent-child dyad; children aged 7 to 10 years with body mass index (BMI) z-score of +1 standard deviation or more. Parents completed the validated self-administered Children Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ). This questionnaire assessed children's eating behaviour that includes food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, emotional overeating, desire to drink, slowness in eating, satiety responsiveness, emotional undereating and food fussiness. The children's weight and height were measured and the BMI z-score was calculated. The association between CEBQ subscales and obesity was assessed using multiple linear regression, adjusted for sex and family income. Results: One hundred and thirty-four parent-child dyads had participated in this study. The food responsiveness was found to be significant with excess weight (ß = 0.094, 95% CI: 0.02-0.17, p = 0.014). Conclusion: The food responsiveness subscale was associated with excess weight. This eating behaviour need to be taken into consideration in the development and implementation of health campaign targeted at the reduction of childhood obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the association between preconception care and the risk of adverse birth outcomes.Design: A quasi-experimental study comparing 2 groups: (1) integrated maternal health care (MHC) program (with preconception care) and (2) standard MHC program (without preconception care).Setting: Maternal health-care clinics in Alvand and Qazvin cities in Qazvin Province, Iran.Participants: A total of 152 and 247 Iranian women aged 16 to 35 years were enrolled in the integrated MHC and standard MHC program, respectively.Measures: The birth outcomes measured included low birth weight, preterm birth, maternal and neonatal complications, and mode of delivery (normal vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery).Analysis: Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine the impact of preconception care and risk of adverse birth outcomes with adjusted odds ratios (ORs) as effect sizes.Results: One hundred forty-seven women in integrated MHC and 218 women in standard MHC completed this study. Preconception care was associated with reduced risk of preterm birth (OR = 0.298; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.120-0.743; P = .009), low birth weight (OR = 0.406; 95% CI = 0.169-0.971; P = .043), maternal complication (OR = 0.399; 95% CI = 0.241-0.663; P < .001), and neonatal complications (OR = 0.460; 95% CI = 0.275-0.771; P = .003).Conclusion: The findings of the present study revealed advantages of preconception care with reduced adverse birth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]